Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

2: Buy spring flowers”These Spirit Stones, I will repay them myself before the deadline without anyone’s help. If I am unable to pay, you may take this house and the family’s spiritual fields.”

Lin Jingyu said in a firm tone.

He was the fish on the chopping block; whether this debt was real or fake, he had to acknowledge it for now.

”Hmm??”

The burly man from Black Wind Stockade stopped his movements, his face showing displeasure. He looked over with cold killing intent in his eyes.

The Cultivators behind him also took a step forward with unfriendly expressions, their Magical Artifacts and weapons clinking.

Lin Jingyu felt a chill down his back, as if he were being watched by a wild beast.

The burly man from Black Wind Stockade suddenly grinned hideously and swung his axe into the ground: ”I don’t have time to bicker with you! Either give me the Spirit Stones now, or I’ll tear down this wretched courtyard right here!”

The Spiritual Qi bursting from the axe blade made the fence rustle and shake, and a crack over half a zhang long was torn into the hard ground.

Birds in the nearby trees were startled and took flight in a flurry.

Lin Jingyu suddenly raised his voice: ”Everyone in the market says that Black Wind Stockade is the most principled and is a famous major power in the area.

Since you all could wait for three months, can’t you even wait for seven days? Are you going to commit the despicable act of tearing up a contract?”

He deliberately looked around at the crowd who had been scared away more than ten zhang, and said indifferently: ”Or is it... that someone is in a hurry to seize my family’s dilapidated house?”

Having learned the Third Elder’s true objective, he was not polite at all in his speech.

The Third Elder’s pupils shrank suddenly, his face darkened, and a thick killing intent flashed deep in his eyes.

A wet-behind-the-ears brat, facing the people from Black Wind Stockade, not only felt no fear but instead spoke eloquently and faced them head-on.

He had even vaguely sensed that he was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

It seemed this boy absolutely could not be allowed to remain.

”What a piece of work. The Third Elder is helping you repay the Spirit Stones and keep your house, yet instead of being grateful, you’re being sarcastic and weird here.”

”I wouldn’t even want those few broken rooms of yours if you gave them to me.”

”Third Elder, don’t bother with this kind of person. Even in seven years, let alone seven days, he wouldn’t be able to scrape together fifty Spirit Stones!”

The surrounding members of the Lin Family were very indignant and criticized Lin Jingyu one after another for such rebellious words.

If they had rotten vegetable leaves or smelly eggs in their hands, Lin Jingyu would surely have been pelted with them.

”Ungrateful!”

The Third Elder gave the burly man from Black Wind Stockade an imperceptible look and left with a flick of his sleeves.

”Fine!” The bearded man put away his axe, ”I’ll give you seven days. If you can’t produce fifty Spirit Stones by then, it won’t be as simple as today...”

His cold gaze swept over the Lin Jingyu siblings and stopped on Lin Jingxia. He licked his lips and said:

”Wanhua Pavilion has been short of cauldrons lately, hehe...”

Then he turned and left with a sinister laugh.

Lin Jingxia’s whole body went stiff. She naturally knew of Wanhua Pavilion; if she were to fall into such a demon’s den, she would rather die.

She gripped her brother’s sleeve tightly, her knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

”Don’t be afraid, your brother is here.”

Lin Jingyu’s gentle voice was like flowing water, washing away the gloom in her heart.

After comforting his sister, Lin Jingyu carried a shovel and a bamboo basket toward his family’s spiritual fields.

Though called spiritual fields, there was actually only about half an acre that could be considered Low Grade spiritual fields, where over a hundred stalks of Purple Ling Rice were planted. This was the siblings’ main source of income.

If the harvest was good, selling it for five or six Spirit Stones would be more than enough.

The remaining three or four acres were just Mortal land with slightly more abundant Spiritual Qi, where ordinary rice was grown.

Lin Jingyu knew absolutely nothing about farming; usually, it was his sister who managed and worked hard on it.

He wandered around the spiritual fields and began digging the soil into his back basket.

Once the basket was full, he used the shovel as a carrying pole and carried it back.

This scene was witnessed by many, who cursed him in their hearts as a spendthrift.

Regarding spiritual fields, which family wouldn’t cherish them carefully? From time to time, they would even spend Spirit Stones to buy spiritual fertilizer prepared by a Spiritual Plant Master to nourish the land.

Who would do the opposite and dig out the soil? If he kept digging like this, it wouldn’t be long before the fertile land lost its Spiritual Qi and turned into Mortal soil.

Back at home, Lin Jingyu moved the bed in his bedroom and pressed his palm against the floorboards below, slowly injecting Spiritual Qi.

Before long, a deep entrance opened silently.

A surge of dense Spiritual Qi rushed toward him, making his spirit feel refreshed.

He jumped in, carrying the basket full of spiritual mud.

This was the underground secret room, situated right on top of a miniature Spiritual Qi node.

It was about one zhang square, and night-luminescent pearls were embedded in the walls.

Array patterns were carved on the ground, capable of gathering and absorbing the Spiritual Qi from the node and storing it within the secret room.

Even his sister didn’t know about the existence of this basement.

He didn’t know how the Third Elder had learned the secret of this basement, causing him to try every means to seize his family’s house.

Lin Jingyu spread the spiritual mud on the ground, piling it into a small mound over a foot thick.

He thought to himself: Since the Third Elder has evil intentions toward my house, I will retaliate by buying up the three spring flowers he hasn’t finished purchasing.

The Earth Spirit Grass can be sold, and the three spring flowers shouldn’t be wasted either... After some disguising, Lin Yujing looked much more mature.

After a period of travel and toil, he passed through the security inspection array at the entrance and successfully entered the Southeast Market Town.

He inhaled the moist air, which carried thin Spiritual Qi, into his body, dispelling the fatigue from traveling over ten li.

Stepping on the road paved with three-foot-square bluestones, there were shops on both sides.

He walked slowly, constantly looking around.

”Senior, is this your first time at the market? Do you need a guide?”

An adolescent boy dressed in coarse hemp clothes approached and asked.

Lin Jingyu noticed that this person was actually a Mortal who had not undergone Cultivation.

”Senior, my name is Xiao’er. Don’t look at me as a Mortal; I was born here. In Southeast Market Town, the outer and inner circles, the eighteen streets, and the thirty-two districts—I know exactly which shop has the best Medicinal Pills, which inn is high-quality and affordable, and which immortal sister is the most gentle and considerate... I know it all clearly.

With me around, I guarantee you won’t be cheated! It only costs ten Spirit Stone Shards per hour, and I guarantee your satisfaction.”

The boy said, patting his chest.

Ten Spirit Stone Shards per hour, which was one-tenth of a Spirit Stone.

This was too expensive; what was the difference between this and robbery?

Lin Jingyu shook his head and spoke in a slightly raspy voice:

”No need.”

After saying that, he continued walking forward.

Unexpectedly, Xiao’er followed again, waving a stack of papers in his hand and saying:

”Senior, I also have maps here. You can find any place you want to go from here, which can save you a lot of trouble.”

Lin Jingyu stopped and took a look. Every street was clearly marked on it, so he asked:

”What’s the price?”

”Five Spirit Stone Shards.”

Lin Jingyu nodded, felt a bit of a sting in his heart as he took out the Spirit Stone Shards, and bought a map.

Studying the map carefully, he quickly found Zuichun Pavilion and memorized several routes for leaving the market.

He pulled his hat down slightly and began to look around carefully.

The three spring flower is a Mortal-grade plant that cannot be used in medicine. When it blooms, it can emit a special fragrance that has the effect of calming the mind and clearing the heart.

However, the scent was very faint, and it certainly couldn’t be smelled in this noisy market.

As the time drew closer to the fifth mark of the Hour of the Rooster, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Suddenly, a burst of noise came.

”You scoundrel, you actually used solomons seal rhizome as a mountain sweet potato to cheat people! Refund me, give me back my three Spirit Stones!”

A young man dressed in fine silk was grabbing a stall owner’s collar and shouting in exasperation.

The stall owner looked very weak, with a sharp chin and monkey-like features. He looked indifferent, picked his nose, and said:

”In the market, the rule is to handle problems on the spot; once it’s over, no one is responsible!

You didn’t have eyes to distinguish between solomons seal rhizome and mountain sweet potato, so who can you blame?”

The young man in silk grit his teeth, wishing he could punch this animal to death, but he also knew that fighting in the market was a major crime.

He could be killed on the spot by the patrollers.

”Good, good, good, you just wait!”

The young man in silk let go of the stall owner, left a harsh word, and departed.

The crowd watching the excitement also dispersed.

Lin Jingyu’s gaze was firmly locked on the stall, on several small yellow flowers about the size of a fist.

If he guessed correctly, these were three spring flowers.

He walked forward and squatted in front of the stall to look at them casually.

The stall owner immediately perked up and introduced:

”Fellow Daoist, what do you need? I have Medicinal Pills, Spiritual Plants, Talismans, and Spiritual Artifacts—everything you could want! Look at this blade fragment; it’s a fragment of a Magic Treasure. Once used, its power is boundless. You can take it for only a hundred Spirit Stones... and...”

”Shut up, I’ll see for myself, no need for you to speak.”

Lin Jingyu said coldly.

The stall owner was immediately choked up, his face froze, and he muttered something silently under his breath, then stopped bothering.

Lin Jingyu breathed gently and sniffed carefully. Sure enough, an extremely faint fragrance came, calming his mind.

Confirmed, they were three spring flowers. A Spiritual Plant was closely attached and parasitic to the root of each one; the stall owner probably didn’t know yet.

These were the three spring flowers that the Third Elder would seek to buy again.

Lin Jingyu then pointed to the small yellow flowers on the stall and asked, ”How much for one three spring flower?”

”One and a half Spirit Stones.”

The stall owner replied.

”Give me an honest price!”

”Oh, Fellow Daoist, these three spring flowers are very rare. Look at the nearby streets; where else are there three spring flowers for sale?

One and a half Spirit Stones is already quite cheap. I picked these deep in the Taihang Mountains at the risk of my life...”

Lin Jingyu I’m too lazy to listen to his nonsense, so I’ll just be direct.：

”Five Spirit Stones. I’ll take all six of these three spring flowers.”

The stall owner shook his head like a rattle: ”Impossible, absolutely impossible.”

Lin Jingyu didn’t waste words either; he stood up and left.

At the same time, he was silently counting down in his heart.

He was gambling, gambling that the stall owner would call him back.

Sure enough, a helpless voice came from behind:

”Don’t go, five and a half Spirit Stones, how about five and a half Spirit Stones?”

Lin Jingyu stopped in his tracks, turned back, and continued to press the price:

”Four and a half Spirit Stones. Four and a half at most. I won’t buy them even for five Spirit Stones!”

”Fine, fine, I’ll take a small loss then.”

The stall owner said dejectedly.

He found a clay pot and put the several three spring flowers inside.

A profit.

Lin Jingyu’s heart bloomed with joy; one of those Spiritual Plants was worth at least seventeen or eighteen Spirit Stones.

A profit!

The stall owner’s heart also bloomed with joy; he had bought these three spring flowers from a herb gatherer for one Spirit Stone.

Selling them for several times the profit made him feel wonderful.

With the three spring flowers in hand, Lin Jingyu did not leave immediately. He spent a long time wandering through several more streets, and only after confirming that no more three spring flowers were for sale did he finally leave.